Sennheiser HD 550 review: admirable yet analytical

Lately Sennheiser has been giving its 500 series of headphones a bit of attention – earlier this year the HD 505 got the treatment, now the new HD 550 is in the spotlight.

This new model on review is weirdly close to the HD 505 in price, though, and at a glance they seem to be quite similar where appearance and specification are concerned.

So what, if anything, is compelling about this more expensive entry into the Sennheiser 500 series and can it be considered among the best headphones available today?

Price & Availability

The Sennheiser HD 550 have been on sale since the middle of March 2025. In the United Kingdom they’re priced at £249. In the United States they go for $299. While in Australia they cost AU$499.

Features & What's New

Not much is ever new in the land of wired over-ear headphones, and it’s a product type that’s not generally overburdened with features either. The Sennheiser HD 550 are no different – they have one function to perform and they’re specified purely to get that job done.

So there’s a 1.8m cable that uses a 2.5mm jack to click-and-twist into place on the left earcup – at the other end it’s terminated in a 3.5mm connection and fitted with a 6.3mm adapter. If you were hoping for a balanced alternative, you’re out of luck – unless you want to spend more money, of course.

The audio information the cable brings in is delivered to your ears by a couple of 38mm transducers that Sennheiser suggests are good for a 6Hz to 39kHz frequency response. They’re readily visible inside the earcups, and the angle at which they’re directed towards your ears is perfectly apparent.

The outside of the earcups are open, thanks to a tight metal mesh arrangement that also carries the company logo. And it’s this configuration, along with that cable for hard-wiring the headphones to a source of music, that lets you know Sennheiser expects the HD 550 to be used indoors and, almost certainly, independently.

Performance

It’s Sennheiser’s intention that its ‘HD something50’ headphones should all strive for sonic neutrality – and to be fair to the company, where the sound of the HD 550 is concerned ‘neutral’ is not exactly the last word that springs to mind.

So aside from a little latent edginess in the treble region, the tonality here is balanced, naturalistic and, yes, neutral. Frequency response is beautifully even from top to bottom – the Sennheiser aren’t about to over- or understate any area of the frequency range in the name of entertainment.

Even when playing those recordings that are anxious to engage and/or move you, the HD 550 play a completely straight bat. If you want headphones that will indulge recordings or put their own stamp on your music, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Detail levels are high, there’s a fair amount of dynamic headroom available for when the intensity (or just simple volume) in a recording ramps up, and the HD 550 are particularly articulate through the midrange.

Low frequency presence is nicely judged (which is perhaps the largest single difference between these headphones and the more affordable HD 505), and there’s just as much detail and variation here as there is elsewhere in the frequency range. The control of bass sounds is such that rhythms are confidently expressed and the overall presentation is always on the front foot.

The soundstage the Sennheiser create is open, well-organised and coherent. The smoothness of the frequency response helps the stage seem unified, and the spaces between elements of recordings are dark and quiet. There’s even a hint of ‘back/front’ to the soundstage to go along with the ‘left/right’.

Aside from a suggestion of high-end edginess (one that becomes more insistent at volume), the major problem here is the relative lack of animation to the HD 550 sound. ‘Neutral’ shouldn’t automatically equate with ‘detached’, after all, and there are plenty of headphones that manage to sound objective without getting all remote about it.

The HD 550, though, seem slightly unwilling to engage with the more visceral aspect of music, and try their hardest to sound impartial – it doesn’t take much for this attitude to come across as disinterestedness.

Design & Usability

Just as the HD 550’s feature-set is very focused, the way they’re designed is wholly functional. That’s not a criticism, you understand, just an observation – Sennheiser is not the sort of company to get carried away where ‘design’ is concerned, especially not where relatively affordable headphones are concerned.

So the majority of the frame of the HD 550 is plastic – and, what’s more, rather hard, less-than-tactile plastic.

The concealed headband adjustment mechanism is of metal, and it moves with clicky precision – it’s inside a headband that’s covered in synthetic leather with just about enough memory foam at the point where it contacts your head.

There’s more memory foam in the earpads, which are covered with a synthetic velour material that feels like it’s going to heat up fast, but in fact stays cool for quite a period.

The clamping force is quite nicely judged and, in tandem with a hanger arrangement that feels very similar indeed to that in the (slightly) more affordable HD 505, comfort is good. And that remains true even after quite a few hours inside these headphones.There’s just about enough ‘fore/aft’ movement in the yokes, but that’s about it as far as articulation goes.

The standard of construction is good and the finish is perfectly adequate, even if the HD 550 aren’t the most inviting where feel is concerned.

Colour options, however, you’ve got the one and only choice – Sennheiser does at least provide a soft drawstring bag to help keep your black-on-black headphones in good condition.

Sennheiser HD 550
review: Verdict

If you want to know exactly what’s what in a recording, and get a full and uncoloured account, it’s hard to think of a more effective way of spending in this ballpark than on the Sennheiser HD 550. These headphones' ability to extract lots of information from a recording and to serve it up without judgement is impressive.

If you’re hoping to be entertained, though, there are more sonically engaging headphones around. Ultimately, therefore, it’s a bit easier to admire the Sennheiser HD 550 than it is to actually enjoy them – but that's going to depend on your standpoint, of course.

Also consider

Their sonic balance is quite distinct from that of the Sennehsier, and they’re a fair bit leakier too – but when it comes to sound quality, the Grado SR325x take some beating at HD 550 money. Ignore the relative lack of comfort and the almost wilfully uncooperative cable, and concentrate on the full, organised, detailed and endless entertaining performance.